Internet infra development key to more jobs, better economy

Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. has called for a clearer and more comprehensive internet infrastructure saying it is a vital component to improving the economy.

In a statement, Marcos said that planning the country’s internet infrastructure development is essential to any developing nation in this day and age because it is where jobs are created, better services are rendered and the economy blossoms.

“Before jobs can multiply, we need to expand our economy. The first thing we need to do is to expand our infrastructure, including our internet. We need to increase our infrastructure development in order to help businesses flourish as it would also subsequently add jobs,” Marcos said.

Marcos lamented a 2015 report of Internet metrics provider Ookla where the Philippines ranked 21st out of 22 Asians countries with the slowest Internet download speed.

“It is such a disappointment that we lag behind our Asian neighbors in terms of internet speed and connection when internet is such an indispensable part of today’s world,” he pointed out.

According to Marcos, with changes in global commerce, the next administration should adopt a mindset where telecommunications, especially the Internet, is part of the essential infrastructure.

Marcos noted that the country’s 2.5% GDP growth is hampered due in part to poor infrastructure development funding.

“What we should follow is a business-directed Internet infrastructure because most businesses use the internet anyway. This is where the government comes in by improving our telecommunications in order to have a better run for our economy,” Marcos explained.